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Belgaroth
Belgaroth, also known as the Usurping Serpent, is the fallen brother of King Chivalras IX of Ruddlestone and the main antagonist in Knights of Doom. History Initially Belgaroth was counted among the illustrious ranks of the Knights of Telak. As brother to the King he would have occupied a position of leadership and prestige. Nevertheless, Belgaroth was of a different nature to his brother, and regarded Chivalras's methods of government as too soft. It is said that Belgaroth wished for a draconian government, and that he was both prideful and jealous of his brother the King, whom he more and more viewed as a weak, unworthy, ruler. - Introduction p.23 Embittered, Belgaroth eventually withdrew to his stronghold, Caer Skaal, a large citadel nestled upon the peripheral reaches of the Banarask Hills. In his reclusion, the brooding royal became submerged beneath his own hatred and ultimately repudiated Telak, turning his veneration instead to the Dark Gods in the hope that they would give him the strength to overcome the King and his established order. It was as a service to his new Gods that Belgaroth founded the Order of the Knights of Chaos. The Knights would be his lieutenants, leading the Chaos armies against Chivalras and his allies. Just before he could launch his campaign, however, royal spies uncovered Belgaroth's plot and informed the King. This sparked the Crusade against Chaos in Ruddlestone, and war engulfed the kingdom for several months. - Introduction p.24 The now totally corrupted Belgaroth and his legions were beaten back to Caer Skaal, and the Knights of Telak, Belgaroth's former comrades, laid siege to the usurper's beleaguered stronghold. Belgaroth was slain on the fields in front of Caer Skaal by Sir Rhyaddan the Crusader, - 296 who was wielding the echanted spear, Aelfgar; Belgaroth and his Order of Knights were defeated. Morgwyn, Belgaroth's wife, contributed her own dark sorcery to the defence of Caer Skaal, but committed suicide upon hearing of the demise of her husband. - 14 His name both feared and reviled, Belgaroth occupies a place in the annals of Ruddlestone as a brutal warmonger, and his bid for power earned him dubious, but apt, titles, such as the Usurping Serpent. - 400 Nevertheless, with the Crusade against Chaos successful, leaving Caer Skaal derelict, Belgaroth was but a nightmarish memory, and Ruddlestone was secured from his predations. However, one hundred years after his own death, Belgaroth would return. The Second Rising of Belgaroth During the reign of King Rannor of Ruddlestone, a gateway to the Spirit Plane was ripped open amid a ferocious, unnatural storm and a twisting vortex of magical energy. This was detected by Aranandus and his fellows, who noted forebodingly that the unearthly disturbance was erupting around the barren towers of Caer Skaal. - Introduction p.22 The rent eventually closed and the disturbance subsided, but not before something forced its way through, creating a malevolent presence from which corruption was said to emanate. Several weeks passed, and soon reports came back from the southern lands near Caer Skaal of marauding warriors rampaging through the countryside and bearing the long dormant banner of Belgaroth's Order of Chaos Knights. The very land seemed to ail and wither beneath a perverting influence, and King Rannor himself was afflicted with an unknown illness that seemed to mirror the malaise of his stricken kingdom. The King and his advisors resolved to despatch a Templar from the Knights of Telak, as raising an army would require too much time and a full scale war was no doubt something better avoided. They were in no doubt that Belgaroth had returned to succeed where he had previously failed and to exact revenge upon the line of Chivalras IX. The Templar was tasked with venturing forth and dealing out a second death to Belgaroth and his Knights, or at the very least buying the King time to raise an army. - Introduction pp.24-25 Belgaroth had indeed returned, but how he forced his way back through the veil of death is a mystery. The power of Chaos resurrected Belgaroth as a Lich-like undead creature, allowing him to reinstigate his plans of conquest. Belgaroth allied himself with powerhungry individuals to act as his spies and agents, including the Clerics of Lein, originally a lawfully aligned religious order, - 45 had secretly slipped into a form of Chaos worship that reversed their once noble purpose, and they surreptitiously worked to corrupt the land instead of preserving it, worshipping the dark entity known as the Darkthorn. - 97, 111 Taris Varen, a Ruddlestone Lord, was also secretly allied with Belgaroth. Chaotics also swelled Belgaroth's strength - the Chaos Beastman Lord, Murgrim the Cruel, had aligned himself with Belgaroth - 267 and he also enjoyed the protection of demonic entities, shielding him from the clairvoyant scrying of Wizards. - 164 Disturbances erupted in areas of Ruddlestone, largely due to Belgaroth or his allies. The sickness of the land awoke Cadaver, a Necromage, from death, - 116 who proceeded to assail Assart with the undead, swelling his ranks with every raid, while the fallen Clerics of Lein continued to befoul and wither the forest in service to their new cause. In the south, the battlements of Caer Skaal were filled once more, and Belgaroth soon gained the military might to attack Carass, a large settlement just north of his stronghold. Special abilities Due to the demonic nature of his resurrection, Belgaroth has been endowed with several abilities which make him a dangerous opponent in combat. He is able to cast a bolt of dark energy capable of inflicting 5 points of stamina damage - 20, 262, 299. He is also capable of summoning a Night-Mare to serve as his steed. - 176 If forced into close combat, Belgaroth uses a dark magical Runesword, which inflicts 3 points of stamina damage rather than 2 (under the Advanced Rules, this would be equivalent to a Two-Handed Sword). Each wound Belgaroth metes out will also deplete the player's honour score by 1. If the player's honour ever reaches 0 they fall prey to the warping influence of Chaos. In addition, Belgaroth wears heavy plate armor which reduces any damage inflicted upon him by 1 point. - 162 Further Notes *Belgaroth's heraldry appears to be the crest of Caer Skaal. It takes the form of a black tower surmounted by a skull. - 50 *Belgaroth is mentioned in Night of the Necromancer. See Also *Morgwyn of the Dark Tower *Clerics of Lein *Taris Varen *Cadaver *Chaos Beastman *Celastrix *Dark Crystal Orb References Category:Humans-Individuals Category:Undead-Individuals Category:Major Villains Category:Major Faces of Titan